Blue Mountain League baseball playoffs set to begin on Saturday

A wild game tonight in Egypt where the Northern Yankees rallied for five runs in the top of the seventh inning to defeat the MetLife Orioles 6-5 finalized the playoff picture in the Blue Mountain League.

Most stunning is the fact that the Hellertown Royals, the Easton Falcons and the Orioles -- three of the four BML playoff teams last year -- failed to qualify. Defending champ Marins Creek did make it, but just barely.

Hellertown had made the playoffs for 13 consecutive years.

One of the most balanced seasons in the amateur league in years ended with the two newcomers from the Tri-County League, the Northern Yankees and Limeport Bulls, earning the second and third seeds.

The Northampton Giants, just 11-20-1 last season, clinched the top seed. The Northern Yankees, Tri-Co champs in 2011 and 2012, earned the No. 2 seed.

The other four playoff teams will begin best-of-three series today, but the inavailability of Limeport Stadium because of the state Connie Mack tournament has forced different venues to be used.

The No. 6 seed Blue Mountain Hawks will play the No. 3 Limeport Bulls, the other former Tri-Co team, at 1:30 at Emmaus Community Park.

In Games 2 on Sunday, the Dodgers will play at Martins Creek at 1:30 and the Limeport Bulls will play at Blue Mountain at Laurys Station.

Games 3, if needed, would be played on Tuesday with the semifinals set to start on Thursday night with the Giants and Yankees set to host Game 1s. The playoffs are expected to continue through Aug. 16.